After becoming one of the biggest WWE superstars in the mid-to-late 2000s, Dave Bautista has spent the past decade acting in everything from independent martial arts films to some of the biggest blockbusters of all time. While Bautista could have spent his acting career being typecast as a brute enforcer thanks to his intimidating stature, the star of the upcoming Army of the Dead movie has flexed his acting chops with more than just looking tough. His dry and subtle humor along with occasional moments of sincerity have turned the future WWE Hall of Famer into an unlikely movie star.
Here are some of Bautista's best film roles that helped him become the celebrity he is today.
Brass Body - The Man with the Iron Fists
Dave Bautista's first notable film role after stepping away from the ring was an unconventional part, but one that foreshadowed his future success. Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA wrote, directed and starred in the wild 2012 martial arts film The Man with The Iron Fists, which boasted a loaded cast featuring the likes of Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and Cung Le.
Bautista plays a mercenary named Brass Body, one of the film's main antagonists who has the power to literally turn his body into unbreakable brass. This character who initially had just a couple of lines became more compelling with Bautista's added one-liners. Since playing Brass Body Bautista's starred in martial arts and kung fu movies such as Enter the Warrior's Gate and Master Z: IP Man Legacy.
Mr. Hinx - Spectre
Spectre may not go down in history as the most beloved James Bond film from the Daniel Craig era, but at least fans of Bautista got to see him play the silent assassin Mr. Hinx. Hinx is a throwback to some classic Bond henchmen who are physically overpowering -- the most famous of them being Oddjob and Jaws. At this point in his career Bautista fought against being typecast as a muscle-bound flunkey but took on the role of Mr. Hinx because this character has more style and intelligence than the typical "muscle."
After a vicious fight with Bond on a moving train, Hinx speaks his only line in the film -- a hilarious moment in an otherwise serious action movie. Though it's unlikely Mr. Hinx will appear in the next Bond film, No Time to Die, Bautista got to add another blockbuster franchise to his ever-growing resume.
Sapper Morton - Blade Runner 2049
Despite only appearing on screen for the opening five minutes of Blade Runner 2049, Dave Bautista's scene with Ryan Gosling's K set the tone for one of the best received science fiction movies of the 2010s. In that first scene Bautista plays Sapper Morton, a renegade replicant turned farmer hiding from the blade runners hunting him. This time, instead looking like his usual tough-guy self, Bautista's Morton looks wearied and older, implying his long journey of being on the run.
Morton has an intriguing conversation with K, the blade runner sent to "retire" him. Before the two have a physical scuffle, Morton reveals to the audience that K is a replicant himself, something that was kept secret before the film's release. Although Morton is nearly forgotten by the film's end, he's the star of the short film 2048: Nowhere to Run, released a month before 2049's premiere.
Detective Vic - Stuber
Bautista had been cast in supporting roles during his career in Hollywood, but in 2019 he finally got to play a lead in the action-comedy Stuber. In it he plays a detective recovering from LASIK surgery and recruits an Uber driver named Stu, played by Kumail Nanjiani, future star of Marvel's Eternals.
What ensues is a fish-out-of-water story for Stu as he experiences a wild night on the force with the detective. Bautista and Nanjiani's chemistry and comedic timing saves what could have just been a straight-to-DVD flick and it earned a theatrical release. The former WWE star displays his best qualities in Stuber and shows he's just as capable of leading a feature as fellow wrestlers turned actors like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena.
Drax the Destroyer - Marvel Cinematic Universe
Drax the Destroyer is the role that turned Dave Bautista from a famous wrestler into a fan-favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the almighty yet hilarious Drax, Bautista fought hard just to get an audition and was extremely nervous during it. However, thanks to his practice and undeniable chemistry in screen tests with his Guardians of the Galaxy co-stars, Bautista overcame the odds and won the part.
The rest as they say, is history. Bautista perfectly delivered his dry one-liners -- highlights from James Gunn's unlikely box office smash. Bautista's character interactions with Chris Pratt's Star Lord, Zoe Saldana's Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and especially Pom Klementieff's Mantis turned the band of obscure Marvel heroes into one of the MCU's strongest and most endearing families. Those who might not have been too interested in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies still got to see Bautista shine as Drax in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, two of the most financially successful films of all-time.